Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-02-23
TWO PECULIAR SECTS.
The Sandewenians OF Connecticut
and Of Old England.
Queer Religious Society Which Has Sur
vived for More Than Century-The
Smallest Church in the Land
The Rogcrenes of New London.
IHartford lConn.l Letter.l

Hartford Comm letter.
Probably the smallest congregation that
assemblies regularly for religious worship
to be found anywhere in this country is
that which occupies every Sunday little
white church in Danbury. tits not very
imposing bull ding. and if stranger
thought any thing about it he would be
apt 10 surmise that it was country school
house and wonder why it was worth while
to build school at al for so small a num-
ber CT pupils as could be sheltered be.
meath its walls. 1t is painted white and
has vivid green blinds. Here, however,
every Sunday gather faithful band OF
seven. 1t is the Church of Sandewanians,
and Of this sect there are less than TWEEN
ty-fve in this country, though in Great
Britain there are nearly two thousand of
them. The Danbury church is the only or
ganization in this country, and here the
queer little sect has lived since the year
lT64, so that the Sandewanians were
in existence when the Wesleyens were in
their infancy and the Baptists almost TN
known. The DaEbury congregation is
composed CT some of the descendants of
the early Sandewaniars, for there have
for many years been no converts.
The Sandewanians are so called because
the first to teach the doctrines of the sect
in this country was Robert Sandewan,
who was native of Scotland Sandewan,
however, was not the founder. Rev John
Glass, native Of Dundee, Scotland. first
taught the principles of the sect, and
those who profess them now in Great
Britain are called Classics. The Sande-
wanians are very pious, simple, almost
puritanic in their habits, and in many
respects their beliefs differ not at all
from those of the Calvinists or
those set forth in the Athanasian
creed. The distinguishing feat
ure of the Sandewanian creed is its inter
probation Of the meaning of the word
faith. Sandewan taught that faith was
only an intellectual belief, and, therefore,
he who had faith was one who simply
gave assent to the teachings and divinity
of Christ. The Sandewanians rejected all
mystical or double sense from the Script
ures
The Sandewanian form Of worshipis Pc
culiar, and from one Of their customs they
have been vulgarly called kissites.
Around table the members are seated,
each one with a Bible open before him,
and IS they are moved to do so they read
from the Scriptures and comment thereon
They also pray and sing, and they partake
of weekly love feast, which is real din
ner served at the house of some one of
them. They prohibit games of chance,
college training and prayer at funerals;
they abstain from all blood and "things
strangled,'' and the kiss of brotherhood
passes between all members, male and fe-
male, whence arises the name OF Kissites.
Sandewan was buried in Danbury in
III, and on his monument it is set forth
that ''in the face of continued opposition
he long and boldly contended for the an
cient faith, that the bare work of Jesus
Christ, without deed or thought on the
part of man, is sufficient to present the
chief ef sinners spotless before God
These lines also appear on the monu-
ment:
Deign'd Christ to come so nigh to us
And not TO count its shame
To call Us bretheren, should we blush
At aught that bears his naref
Nay, let us boast in His approach
And glory in His cross
When he appears one smile from Him
Would far o'crpay our loss.
The ROgerenes were a sect founded bv
John Rogers in New London in 1920 The
desc eadgnts of some of the early members
of this sect are still TO be found in New Lon
don, and though they hold no public
services they still retain some Of the tenets
Of The sect. The Rogerenes were some
thing of Socialists, and it seems to have
been part of their creed to violate the
Lords day. openly and extensively, to in
suit magistrates. and to trample so far as
they dared on all law. One OF their GUS
toms was to enter church on Sunday. half
dressed, and by shouts and tumults en-
6cavor 10 attract the attention Of the con-
gregation from the services. They work
cd On Surday-thCn a very grave moral
and legal offense-and drove heavy
carts by churches to disturb the wor-
Slippers. They despiscd civil authority.
These things were not done in a spirit of
mischief, but as part of their duty, and
with the purpose Of proselyting and teach
ing their neighbors what in their view
true religion required,
1t was contrary to their tenets to use
medicine or TO employ physicians. They
were primitive faith curers. But tits ira
dition to-day that most annoying and
dreadful cutaneous epidemic spread
among them so that they We're almost dis
tractcd. Faith was not potent, and there
was no known cure except external
application. The Rogerenes were good
Plomaists. They kept their faith and
solved the problem Of cure by declaring
thasthe itch was not a sickness, but a
noxioIs animal, and might he bestowed,
therefore, by the physicians drugs.
There is very rare and very valuable
book much sought by hibliophiles, written
by Rogercne named Watrous many years
ago. 1t is called THE Battle Axe" Wat
rous could 1ind 70 publisher willing to
print this remarkable production, and he
therefore bought types and press, learned
to set type crcde!y, and printed and pub
lisEed the book himself. 1t is known to
the searchers for rare and quaint books as
a very great curiosity, both from its sub
ject matter and for its remarkable typo
graphical execution.
This sect's influence was pcrcepti5le at
a very recent day, for the descendants of
the Eogerenes few years ago are report
ed not TO have permitted themselves to as
sist as carpenters and masous in the build
ing Of church in New London.